PHYSICAL EXERCISES 

FOR 

INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 



OCHSNER i 

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Class Crj VH5 «l 
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COEfRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 

FOR 

INVALIDS 

AND 

CONVALESCENTS 



BY 

EDWARD H. OCHSNER, B.S., M.D., F.A.C.S. 

PRESIDENT, ILLINOIS STATE CHARITIES COMMISSION; ATTENDING SURGEON, 
AUGUSTANA HOSPITAL CHICAGO. 



ILLUSTRATED 



ST. LOUIS 
C. V. MOSBY COMPANY 
1917 




Copyright, 1917, By C V. Mosby Co. 



t 

« 



-5 1917 



Press of 
C. V. Mosby Co. 
St. Louis 



©CLA467309 



"Love labor; for if thou dost not want it 
for thy Food, thou mayest for Physick. It is 
wholesome for the body, and good for the 
mind. It prevents the fruits of idleness, which 
many times comes from nothing to do, and 
leads too many to do what is worse than 
nothing." William Penn. 



PEEFACE 

For a number of years I have felt the need in my 
practice of some convenient, compact manual of 
physical exercises for patients who are convales- 
cing from surgical operations or from some severe 
illness and also for persons who are engaged in 
sedentary work and who, because of lack of proper 
physical exercise, are below par. The need has 
been particularly urgent in orthopedic work, in 
the after-treatment for the correction of deform- 
ities following infantile paralysis and similar af- 
fections. At first I met the difficulty by giving the 
patients typewritten slips of exercises and later 
made use of a number of books. The typewritten 
slips proved rather inconvenient and cumbersome 
and not entirely satisfactory because these lists 
contained no illustrations. The books available 
were also unsatisfactory because no book that I 
could find fully answered my needs. I have con- 
sequently decided to publish a very short, com- 
pact, easily comprehended, convenient and inex- 
pensive manual describing concisely but clearly 
forty exercises which can be executed, without ap- 
paratus in the patient's own room, at any time 
convenient to the patient. These exercises are es- 
pecially designed for the use of convalescents, in- 

5 



PREFACE 



valids and persons engaged in sedentary occupa- 
tions. While it is primarily compiled to fill my 
own personal needs in the after-treatment of sur- 
gical, particularly orthopedic cases, I hope other 
surgeons as well as internists and general practi- 
tioners will find this little volume of value. 

The Author. 

2155 Cleveland Ave., 
Chicago, March, 1917. 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 



GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS 

Physical exercise can be secured in three ways : 
first, by indulging in purposeful productive exer- 
cise, commonly called physical work; second, 
sports, and third, gymnastics. Each of these three 
forms of exercise has its advantages and its dis- 
advantages. Physical work, if the kind suited to 
the individual in question can be secured, is un- 
questionably more satisfactory mentally, because 
the production with one's own hands of something 
valuable and useful is one of the great joys of 
living, and, as Penn says, "If thou dost not want 
it for thy Food, thou mayest for Physick." Pur- 
poseful exercise has the great advantage also of 
being less self-conscious and self-consciousness in 
exercise is always to be avoided as much as pos- 
sible. One of the objections to work as a physical 
exercise in our large cities and in our modern 
highly specialized industrial life is that the aver- 
age physical trade is apt to exercise only a small 
portion of the muscular system of the body. Thus, 
a man working a modern machine all day may ex- 
ercise only a very small percent of the several hun- 

7 



8 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 



dred muscles of the body. Another objection is 
that, particularly in our large cities, the man with 
sedentary occupation finds it very difficult to se- 
cure suitable physical exercise with any degree 
of regularity. As a result a considerable percent 
of the people living in our cities do not get enough 
exercise to maintain themselves in perfect health 
and consequently must make other provisions for 
exercise. Some of these resort to sports. Sports, 
such as horseback riding, rowing, tennis, golf, 
baseball, hunting, fishing and many others are all 
to be recommended and encouraged because they 
not only furnish us with much needed exercise but 
they provide us with the still more needed diver- 
sion, rest ipkd healthful recreation. However, 
these too can only rarely be depended upon exclu- 
sively, for, as a rule, we are unable to indulge in 
these daily and, in order to keep in perfect health, 
we need a certain minimum of physical exercise 
every day, below which we cannot go without some 
impairment of our physical health. Such sports 
as can be indulged in only once a week may do 
more harm than good because they may overstrain 
an enfeebled body one day a week and provide no 
exercise the other six days. 

Life is activity. Fullness of life is full activity 
of all our being, physical, intellectual and spirit- 
ual. Intellectual and spiritual welfare of the in- 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 9 



dividual are dependent to a large degree upon the 
physical health of the body. 

Since purposeful exercise and sports are not 
available to all of us, — in fact, are not always 
available to many of us, — and rarely available to 
many of us, it becomes necessary to have a satis- 
factory substitute to fall back upon when neces- 
sary. To fill this gap many systems of calisthenics 
and physical exercise have been devised, — most of 
them with good points. Some of them splendid 
for certain purposes but none of them so far as I 
know entirely satisfactory for invalids and conva- 
lescents. For these I have selected the following 
from a very large number. 

These exercises thus arranged hav^ a number of 
important advantages. They can ue performed 
without apparatus of any kind. If taken daily 
they will help to keep the body in good health, or 
after any illness they will help to restore normal 
conditions. They are easily learned, require little 
time for their performance and are adapted to old 
and young, strong and weak alike. 

Proper oxygenation of the blood is of the great- 
est importance in securing the highest degree of 
vitality, hence it becomes necessary to consider 
first of all the exercise of breathing. During mod- 
erate exercises or the ordinary processes of life, 
only a small portion of the lung tissue is called 
into active use and unless one exerts himself vig- 



10 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 



orously for at least five or ten minutes daily, it is 
necessary to give some thought to the question of 
breathing in order that all of the lung tissue may 
be called into active use and the lungs completely 
expanded at least several times a day, for there is 
probably nothing which weakens, deteriorates and 
subjects the lungs to the dangers of disease more 
than the lack of use. Many persons have never 
learned to breathe properly. This is true espe- 
cially of those persons who have never engaged 
in strenuous physical labor. Such persons are 
very likely to use only the upper portion of their 
lungs in breathing — -the type known as " Chest 
breathing. " These persons rarely use their dia- 
phragms and abdominal muscles in breathing at 
all and for that reason do not properly fill the 
lower portion of their lungs with any degree of 
regularity. In order to breathe properly, the 
lower portion of the lungs should be first filled 
with air. If one has accustomed himself to faulty 
breathing, it is sometimes rather difficult to learn 
the right method. One of the easiest ways of learn- 
ing this correctly is to stand bare-chested before a 
large mirror, then by bringing the abdomnial mus- 
cles outward (as illustrated in Fig. la) and later 
the chest above (as illustrated in Fig. lb) one will 
be able to fill the lungs completely. This exercise 
should be done several times a day in front of a 
mirror until the right method has been correctly 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 



11 



learned and established as a habit. In doing this 
one should stand erect and draw the air in through 
his nose with the month closed. If the nose is ob- 
structed, it is necessary to have it first looked 
after by a competent physician and have all ob- 
struction to breathing removed. While doing the 
exercises given below it is very important that one 
learns to breathe free and easy through the nose 
during the whole process of each exercise. At the 
end of each exercise, I would advise taking a deep 
breath as just described and illustrated in Fig. 1. 
The exercises should all be taken in a well ven- 
tilated room with the clothes fairly loose and com- 
fortable. No apparatus of any kind is needed. 
The exercises can be taken any time of day; not 
later than the evening meal, however, and prefer- 
ably in the morning on arising. The first one 
alone should be taken the first day. It should be 
thoroughly learned so that in a few days it will be- 
come perfectly automatic and easy. After the first 
day one new one should be added, learning it thor- 
oughly until as many have been added as is con- 
sidered desirable and advisable for the individual 
to take. For the maintenance of ordinary health 
the average individual can take all of the exer- 
cises, once daily. A person in less vigorous health 
should not take as many. In fact, the guide should 
be "Avoidance of excessive fatigue." A delicate 
individual may find it advisable not to take more 



12 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 



than ten or a dozen at first, then to add new ones 
more slowly, say one new one every three or four 
days. Some little individual judgment must be 
used by each person. Vigorous persons or per- 
sons in training may take two or three times the 
number indicated in the book. Each exercise 
should be done vigorously, with the muscles firm, 
well under control, with perfectly smooth motions, 
not having the slightest jerky character. As most 
of these motions consist of stretching and bending 
of the joints, it is desirable that as much energy 
be used in the one process as in the other. 

Students, professional men, investigators and, 
in fact, all persons who are compelled to do intel- 
lectual work or monotonous physical work for sev- 
eral consecutive hours daily will find it to their ad- 
vantage to throw off their coats, open the windows 
and go through a dozen of these exercises several 
times a day. If they will do this when they begin 
to feel fagged, tired, listless, sleepy or dull they 
will soon find the quality of their work improved 
and the quantity increased, and this with less wear 
and tear on their nervous systems. 

These exercises have been so arranged that dif- 
ferent portions of the body will be exercised alter- 
nately and, if all of the exercises are taken daily, 
practically every voluntary muscle in the body will 
receive sufficient exercise to keep it supple and in 
reasonable health and vigor. 



i 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 13 



These exercises are not to be considered a sub- 
stitute for physical work and sports, except for 
those who, because of physical infirmity, are un- 
able to work or indulge in sports. For all others 
they are to be used to supplement work and sports 
when for some reason it is impossible for the in- 
dividual to get sufficient exercise to maintain him- 
self in good physical condition. 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 




Fig. 1-A. Fig. 1-B. 



EXERCISE NO. 1. 
Once. 

Stand erect, heels together, shoulders back, 
hands on hips, lips closed. Draw in slowly through 
nose, first filling lower portion of lungs and later 
upper portion of lungs. Blow out slowly through 
mouth, holding lips so as to offer a little resistance 
to passage of air. 

15 



16 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 




Fig. 2. 



EXERCISE NO. 2. 

Five Times With Each Arm. 

Stand erect, heels together, breathe naturally 
through nose. Right hand closed on chest, push 
out horizontally forward steadily and vigorously 
as far as you can. Draw back vigorously till hand 
is on chest. Repeat five times and then similarly 
five times with left arm. Follow this with one 
breathing exercise as illustrated in Fig. 1. 



i 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 



17 




Fig. 3. 



EXERCISE NO. 3. 

Five Times in Each Direction. 

■ 

Stand erect, heels together, rotate the head from 
right to left five times. Repeat in the opposite di- 
rection five times, making as large a circle as pos- 
sible. Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



18 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 




Fig. 4. 



EXEECISE NO. 4. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, lieels together, with hands closed, 
swing both arms forward vertically as far as pos- 
sible, then back as far as possible. Eepeat five 
times. Then swing the arms in opposite direction 
five times. Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 19 




Fig. 5. 



EXERCISE NO. 5. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together, hands on hips. Bend 
forward gently, steadily and slowly as far as pos- 
sible, then straighten np and bend backwards as 
far as possible. Eepeat five times. Breathing ex- 
ercise No. 1, once. 



20 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 




Fig. 6. 



EXERCISE NO. 6. 
Ten Times. 

Stand erect, heels together, hands closed. Hold 
both arms horizontally outward from the body and 
rotate arms back and forth ten times. Breathing 
exercise No. 1, once. 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 



21 




Fig. 7. 



EXERCISE NO. 7. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, hands on hips. Bend right knee and 
thigh as much as possible, bringing knee as near 
body as possible. Then left limb. Eepeat alter- 
nating right limb and left limb each five times. 
Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



22 



PHYSICAL EXEECISES 




Fig. 8. 



EXERCISE NO. 8. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together. Close hands on 
chest, extend both arms horizontally outward as 
far as possible. Bring fists back to chest. Eepeat 
five times. Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 



23 




Fig. 9. 



EXERCISE NO. 9. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together. Turn head from 
right to left and left to right as far as it will go 
comfortably five times in each direction. Breath- 
ing exercise No. 1, once. 



24 



PHYSICAL EXEECISES 




Fig. 10. 



EXEECISE NO. 10. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together. Swing arms hori- 
zontally back and forth as far as they will com- 
fortably go five times in each direction. Breath- 
ing exercise No. 1, once. 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 



25 




Fig. 11. 



EXEECISE NO. 11. 
Five Times. 



Bend slightly forward, heels together, hands on 
hips. Lean from side to side as far as possible 
five times. Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



26 



PHYSICAL EXEKCISES 




Fig. 



EXERCISE NO. 12. 
Five Times. 

Heels together, knees straight, body bent for- 
ward slightly. Push downward and forward with 
both hands, then backward and upward, like in 
working a buck saw, five times. Breathing exercise 
No. 1, once. 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 



27 




Fig. 13. 



EXERCISE NO. 13. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together, hands on hips. Raise 
on toes as high as possible, then keeping body 
straight, lower by bending at hips and knees as far 
as possible. Then back to first position. Repeat 
five times. Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



28 PHYSICAL EXERCISES 




Fig. 14. 



EXEECISE NO. 14. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together. Close hands, raise 
arms to horizontal position. Alternately bend el- 
bows and straighten them out in this position five 
times. Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 29 




Fig. 15. 



EXEECISE NO. 15. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together. Swing right limb 
from right to left in front of left limb, five times. 
Eepeat with left limb. At first it may be neces- 
sary to support oneself a little with one hand. 
Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



30 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 




Fig. 16. 



EXEECISE NO. 16. 

Five Times in Each Direction. 

Stand erect, heels together, arms straight. 
Describe circles with each arm from before back- 
ward five times and then five times from behind 
forward, making the circle as large as possible and 
as nearly vertical and as near the body as possible. 
Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 31 




Fig. 17. 



EXERCISE NO. 17. 

Five Times in Each Direction. 

Stand erect, heels together, hands on hips. Keep- 
ing the hips as steady and firm as possible, rotate 
the upper portion of the body from the hips, mak- 
ing as big a circle as possible. Face forward dur- 
ing the whole exercise. Repeat the exercise from 
right to left five times, then reverse and repeat it 
five times from left to right. Breathing exercise 
No. 1, once. 



32 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 




Fig. 18. 



EXERCISE NO. 18. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together, hands closed at side 
of body. Bend elbows and draw hands up verti- 
cally and then straighten out again. Breathing ex- 
ercise No. 1, once. 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 



33 




Fig. 19. 

EXERCISE NO. 19. 

Five Times With Each Leg. 

Stand erect, heels together, hands on hips. Eaise 
right leg to horizontal with the knee bended at 
first, then straighten the knee. Repeat alternately 
five times with each leg. Breathing exercise No. 1, 
once. 



34 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 




Fig. 20. 



EXEECISE NO. 20. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together. Place closed hands 
on chest and raise elbows as high as possible. 
Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 35 




Fig. 21. 



EXERCISE NO. 21. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together, hands on hips. Bring 
right leg forward moderately so as to clear ground 
well, then flex and extend foot at the ankle joint. 
Repeat five times, then do the same exercise with 
the left leg. Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



36 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 




Fig. 22. 



EXERCISE NO. 22. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together, arms hanging at side. 
Without bending elbows bring arms first to hori- 
zontal and then to vertical position near the sides 
of the head. Then back to first position and repeat 
five times. Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 37 




Fig. 23. 



EXERCISE NO. 23. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together, with feet firm and 
stationary. Turn the body as far to the right as 
possible, then to the left as far as possible. Repeat 
five times. Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



38 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 




Fig. 24. 



EXERCISE NO. 24. 

Twenty Times. 

Stand erect, heels together. Raise both arms to 
near horizontal in front of body, place palms of 
the hands together, then rub hands together twenty 
times. Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 



39 




Fig. 25. 



EXERCISE NO. 25. 

Five Times in Each Direction With Each Limb. 

Stand erect, heels together. Make as large a 
circle as possible with right leg straight at knee. 
Repeat with the left leg in the same manner. After 
having done this exercise from before backward 
five times with each limb, repeat by doing it behind 
forward five times with each limb. Breathing ex- 
ercise No. 1, once. 



40 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 




Fig. 26. 



EXEKCISE NO. 26. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together. Close fists on chest. 
Eaise arms upward as far as possible. Eeturn to 
first position and repeat five times. Breathing ex- 
ercise No. 1, once. 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 



41 




Fig. 27. 



EXERCISE NO. 27. 
Ten Times. 

Stand erect, heels together, hands on hips. Bal- 
ance on left foot. Eotate right limb ten times. The 
same with the left leg. Breathing exercise No. 1, 
once. 



42 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 




Fig. 28. 

EXERCISE NO. 28. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together, bring arms to a hori- 
zontal position stretched out on the same plane 
with the body. Bring hands together in front, then 
back to first position. Eepeat five times. Breath- 
ing exercise No. 1, once. 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 43 




Fig. 29. 

EXEECISE NO. 29. 
Ten Times. 



Stand erect, heels together, arms vertically at 
side of body. Kaise shoulders as high as possible 
ten times. Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



44 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 




Fig. 30. 



EXERCISE NO. 30. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, spread legs moderately, bring hands 
above head. Bend forward as far as possible, 
straighten up, bend backward as far as possible. 
Eepeat exercise five times. Breathing exercise No. 
1, once. 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 45 




Fig. 31. 



EXERCISE NO. 31. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together. Holding limb stiff 
at knee, swing right limb backward and forward 
vertically five times. Repeat with the left. At first 
it may be necessary to support oneself a little with 
one hand. Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



46 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 




Fig. 32. 



EXEECISE NO. 32. 

Five Times With Each Hand. 

Stand erect, heels together. Bring arms up 
horizontal at the side of the body. With each hand 
make the figure of eight. This is sometimes best 
learned by drawing a figure of eight on the wall 
with one hand with the arm in position above indi- 
cated. When the motion is once learned it can be 
done simultaneously with both hands. Breathing 
exercise No. 1, once. 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 



47 




Fig. 33. 



EXERCISE NO. 33. 

Five Times With Each Leg. 

Stand erect, heels together, hands on hips. 
Abduct right leg as far as possible keeping the 
knee straight. Alternate with left leg, doing each 
five times. Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



48 



PHYSICAL EXEECISES 




Fig. 34. 



EXEKCISE NO. 34. 
Ten Times. 

Stand erect, heels together, arms hanging verti- 
cally at sides of the body. Extend and flex fingers 
ten times. Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 



49 




Fig. 35. 



EXEECISE NO. 35. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together, hands on hips. 
Bring elbows as near together behind as possible. 
Repeat five times. Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



50 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 




Fig. 36. 



EXERCISE NO. 36. 

Twenty-five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together, hands on hips. Go 
through with the trotting movement twenty-five 
times standing on the same place however. Breath- 
ing exercise No. 1, once. 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 51 




Fig. 



EXERCISE NO. 37. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together. Arms in horizontal 
position in same plane with body, then forward so 
as to bring palms of hands together. Separate 
arms, throwing them backwards as far as possible 
while raising on toes. Eepeat five times. Breath- 
ing exercise No. 1, once. 



52 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 




Fig. 38. 



EXERCISE NO. 38. 
Ten Times. 

Stand erect, heels together. Clasp hands behind 
back about opposite the waist line, keeping hands 
clasped, press them downward as far as possible. 
Bring them back to the first position. Eepeat ten 
times. Breathing exercise No. 1, once. 



FOR INVALIDS AND CONVALESCENTS 



53 




Fig. 39. 



EXERCISE NO. 39. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together, hands on hips. With 
knees straight, put right leg back as far as possible, 
then bend limb at knee. Repeat exercise five times, 
then the same with the left leg. Breathing exercise 
No. 1, once. 



54 



PHYSICAL EXERCISES 




Fig. 40. 



EXEECISE NO. 40. 
Five Times. 

Stand erect, heels together, hands closed. Push 
both hands downward and backward as far as pos- 
sible. Repeat five times. Breathing exercise No. 
1, once. 



